#839993 pulseaudio: Pulseaudio is able to share non-ALSA audio devices across differens user sessions

Package:
pulseaudio
Source:
pulseaudio
Description:
PulseAudio sound server
Submitter:
Alexander Betaev
Date:
2021-05-24 21:15:30 UTC
Severity:
important
Tags:
#839993#5
Date:
2016-10-07 08:02:45 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

I found that Pulseaudio in per user session mode does not allow all users to
use all devices I have on my machine.
Only ALSA devices may be shared across different user sessions without an
issue.

I noticed such behaviour with native TCP device which is provided by my media
center (JIC, also runs Stretch under KVM with GFX passthrough), and with
Bluetooth device which works pretty well until you try to use it under another
user.

In order to achieve working Bluetooth Headset I had to disable pulseaudio for
GDM3 user (Debian-gdm) because it grab it before my user almost each time.

I believe there should be a hook which suspends pulseaudio when user looses
focus on his/her session and a hook to restore when user grabs session focus.

The only way to use pulseaudio in multi-user installations now is to make it
system-wide which is also not recommended because of other issues
(https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/WhatIsWrongWithSystemWide/)


Thanks and regards,
Alex
#839993#10
Date:
2016-10-07 09:21:53 UTC
From:
To:
I see these messages in GDM log (journalctl -u gdm):
окт 07 12:09:21 inftop gdm-launch-environment][5570]:
pam_systemd(gdm-launch-environment:session): Failed to create session: No
seat 'seat0allow-timed-login' known
окт 07 12:09:21 inftop gdm3[3099]: gdm_session_set_environment_variable:
assertion 'value != NULL' failed

Looks like missprint somewhere, but I don't know where.
#839993#15
Date:
2016-10-07 13:02:42 UTC
From:
To:
Interesting. Is your user shown as active in the current seat? Check
via the `loginctl` command.
#839993#20
Date:
2016-10-07 14:09:01 UTC
From:
To:
Control: tags -1 confirmed upstream
Control: forwarded -1 https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=98144

I discussed this with upstream and they agree that this is only
implemented for alsa devices. I have thus created an issue upstream,
and am marking this bug as forwarded there. I have mainly focused in
the bluetooth case since that is the most likely to cause problems for
users.
#839993#29
Date:
2016-10-07 18:13:35 UTC
From:
To:
Sorry, my fault. It looks like this isGDM3 issue not related to PA. So
just disregard my message.
#839993#48
Date:
2021-05-24 21:11:50 UTC
From:
To:
Greeting to you once again



I am writing for the second time as I did not receive any reply from you to
my previous message.



Kindly reply so we can discuss the subject as soon as possible.



Sincerely,



Andy Landman
#839993#53
Date:
2021-05-24 21:11:50 UTC
From:
To:
Greeting to you once again



I am writing for the second time as I did not receive any reply from you to
my previous message.



Kindly reply so we can discuss the subject as soon as possible.



Sincerely,



Andy Landman